Dinacharya - ancient purification routine for modern times

Carmen Tosto

Dinacharya embodies a very important, revolutionary and extraordinarily modern concept, especially if we consider its antiquity. But in Ayurveda everything is already described .... and we don't have to invent anything at all!

The practices of Dinacharya and its rules are defined in the great classical texts of Ayurveda, and each author dedicates a particular space to the subject. It is very interesting to note that Sushruta dedicates Chapter 24 of the Chikitsasthana to Dinacharya, which opens as follows: "Now I will deal with the prevention of diseases that have not yet come. So said the lucky Dhanvantari". Dinacharya is therefore described as an important preventive and health-preserving pathway. In particular, Sushruta directs his recommendations to healthy, intelligent people who do not want to fall ill. The regulations are clear and must be carried out at all times, every day, and also in a strict sequence. But Dinacharya represents much more than a simple list of techniques for daily purification, and its reading can be carried out at different levels from the coarser to the thinner, from sthula to sukshma.

But why is it sometimes so difficult even for students of Ayurveda to follow the rules of Dinacharya? Perhaps because we do not fully understand the mechanisms of action and their beneficial effects. In this workshop we will discover together how Dinacharya is an extremely powerful means to maintain health, we will deepen its practical details and we will see together how to build an "Ayurvedic" day in the name of balance and harmony. Dinacharya is an extremely important and useful practical tool for everyone and should be followed with care.

Every day we build health or illness, a small daily gesture maintains and creates balance or can lay the groundwork for a future imbalance or illness.Let us remember the second cause of disease in Ayurveda "Asatmyendriyarthasamyoga", the improper conjunction of the senses with their objects, in summary the inappropriate use of the five senses.

Sensory perceptions are the food the mind feeds on, which is why their health is held in high regard by Ayurvedic medicine. In fact, just as nutrition is one of the fundamental factors in the cure of the disease, so the adequacy of sensory stimuli is a cornerstone of health. Inappropriate junction of the senses with their objects can be caused by excessive, insufficient, or inappropriate use.

Every sense organ must be purified daily through Dinacharya, every Mahabhuta must be balanced with precise actions, sensitivity and awareness. Ayurveda considers it of fundamental importance to know how to live in harmony with nature and its rhythms.

Every day, we are traversed by waves of change, and each one carries within it the information provided by the environment at that precise moment. This information is expressed by qualities and properties that are grouped in Ayurveda in the concept of dosha and, just as dosha influence the external environment, so do they regulate our physiology to a greater or lesser extent according to very precise periods of the day. The dosha clock therefore marks our daily rhythm from awakening to nightly rest.

The cycle of time, Kala, has always been the object of study and observation in the Indian world. His influence in our lives is very important, unfortunately we do not always realize it. More and more often than not, people are not aware of the extent to which the flow of day and night is in constant interaction with us and with the outside world. Ayurveda has always observed internal and external phenomena and has been able to establish, in a surprisingly scientific and exact way, how a correct daily routine can influence the state of health and the psycho-physical well-being of man.

In this workshop we will discover the practical mechanisms and the healthiest rules of Dinacharya. Only practical and direct experimentation allows us to grasp the profound and extraordinary meaning of what millenary Ayurvedic wisdom teaches us. Through Dinacharya, the body, mind and spirit will thus be perfectly aligned with cosmic geometries.

These rules are simple but extremely valid especially in our days where everything is confused, and the haste and "rhythms" of modern life take us away from that precious reservoir of harmony and health that is Nature.

So, the advice for everyone is: slow down, take time and observe ... move in harmony with the rhythms of nature …with the help of Ayurveda.